Analysis of Wilfred Owen’s Poetry

Hieroglyphs of an unappreciated inspiration the mirrors of the gigantic shadows which futurity casts upon the present the haggle which discourse what they understand not the trumpets which gurgle to battle, and feel not what they Inspire the Influence which Is moved not, but moves. Poets are the unacknow guideged legislators of the world. (Percy Abysses Shelley) It seems that even though Wilfred Owen was not alive until many years after this quote that he embodied this quote rough poets and their poetry.Poetry throughout the ages has been one literary device that has neither intensifyd nor conformed to the whims of society. Poetry has been a device to recount history, express emotion and bring about change thus poets being agents of change. Wilfred Owen, a brilliant poet was amongst those who initiated anti-war writing amidst a country being fed propaganda. Owen brought attention to the harsh realities of war, rather than perpetuating societies ignorant delusions that war was heroic and adventurous. Owen was persistent to edify England on the actualities of war.By writing poetry that denied Englands teachings of noble warfare, Owen put down an unprecedented example of exposing repressed accuracy to the public. Two of his most distinguished works, odoriferous et Decorum est. and hymn for Doomed Youth will be analyses alongside Owens Life to prove the validity of this statement. The way In which Wilfred Owen was brought up was integral to his phenomenal poetry. He was birthed in the year 1893 in England and was a devout Christian throughout his years of boyhood. On October twenty-first 191 5, Owen enlisted into the army and nearly a year later was commissioned as a second lieutenant.Owen had been natural into England at a time where war was what men did for adventure, it was good, a transition room boyhood to manhood many might have called it. What Owen witnessed was anything but what was advertised by his country and felt deeply betrayed and deceiv ed. Owen suffered through a series of traumatic events such as falling Into a shell-hole and sustaining concussion and also blown Into the aviation by a trench mortar that left him Incapacitated on an embankment beside the re primary(prenominal)s of another officer. This led to Owen being diagnosed with shell shock and post- traumatic stress disorder.To over lift the PATS Owen suffered, he was encouraged by Siegfried Swanson to keep open about the horrors of war. Owen, haunted by his own memories dedicated his writing on the pure physical, moral and mental horrors of war, not to commemorate the subject but to educate and warn those that were full with propaganda influenced beliefs. Owen bravely defied the socio-cultural context he was brought up in and stood in contrast to the public perception of what war was in order to abide the travail of future spends.Owens Christian beliefs and what he witnessed during the war lent to the brilliance of one of his poesys that sought to ch ange society view on war. Anthem for Doomed Youth, solemnly discusses the finish of a young soldier and contrasts a normal funeral to the send -off that people who died fighting receive. Owen shows his Dallas for the treatment of soldiers Immediately through the title. The word Anthem suggests a celebratory song, In relation to the words Doomed Youth it is evident that Owen believes the deaths of amortized by commemoration.Owen structures his poem very similar to a sonnet with iambic pentameter having 14 lines and mostly abides by the 10 syllable per line. In order to create effect, Owen occasionally strays from the 10 syllable line by ongoing over at round points and under at others. In combination with the unusual rhyming scheme the poem contains, the reader is set on edge and made to feel uncomfortable. Owen incorporates language that identifies the time period in which he lived, words such as orisons, shires, and pallor are indicative of this.A sense of instability is construc ted through Owens use of beginning rhyme and burnished aesthetics the lines rifles rapid rattle and demented choirs of wailing shells give the reader insight into the funny house of war. By initiating slowly, Owen has allowed the poem to lid Just like war, but begins to end the poem with a pokey pace with the line And each slow dusk, a drawing down of blinds, this being significant to the death of the soldier and his survive heartbeats. Owen constructs images of religion and contrasts them with descriptions of war and death.Juxtaposing the tolling of bells with gunshots and death, Owen has effectively placed the reader in divine warfare. The overarching essence is that Owen believed that soldiers did not receive a proper and respectful burial. Owen was wholly unsatisfied with how the deaths of young oldies were celebrated in public, rather than mourned. Dulcet et decorum est. pro patria mort, it is sweet and fitting to die for ones country, the final line of perchance the mos t significant of Owens works. Dulcet et Decorum est., allied itself with anti- war thinking and promoters, thus becoming passing popular and influential on society. Dulcet et Decorum est. describes the story of an English soldier whose squadron was attacked by the resistance and the soldier watches a fellow veteran die violently. Through Owens creative genius the reader of Dulcet et Decorum est. is blew to witness how the soldier is endlessly haunted by the death and bombarded by nightmares. Towards the end of the poem, the soldier queries how his country can support and promote such despair and anguish.Owen portrays his belief that his country should stop endorsing war, he was of the opinion that no one should ever have to undergo the horrors he had witnessed. Owen promotes this idea through the last stanza of his poem. The narrator speaks to the reader and tells them that had they witnessed what he had, they would not be willing to die for their country in what was called an hon orable way. To place the reader into a context of war, Owen uses intense imagery such as the line, Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues and also incorporates the use of similes, as under a green sea I adage him drowning. Owen has effectively created a feeling of discomfort and angst by incorporating techniques such as simile, metaphor and extremely vivid aesthetics. Owen sets the scene and describes the soldiers as being bent double, like old beggars under sacks, this depicts the dissatisfaction Owen had with war. The famous poet highlights one of societys main faults the glorification of war. He does this by combining elements of poetry in a frightening manner, such as the combination of slow lines, followed by Gas GAS Quick boys By straying from the structure of the iambic pentameter occasionally, Owen puts emphasis on particular lines pertaining to the nightmares of the soldier, In all my dreams, before me helpless sight/ He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning. O wen adds authority to his text by Latin phrase Dulcet et decorum est. pro patria moor from an antediluvian patriarch text, Owen has effectively shown that society continues to perpetuate the idea that war is honorable. As a soldier and as a poet, Owen had the authority to comment on the atrocities of war.By using the literary device of poetry, Owen was able to speak that which was not to be spoken and voiced the thoughts of fallen soldier. His establishment of anti war ideas allowed society to break free from the constrains of propaganda and come to the realization that war was not glorious, honorable nor adventurous. Regardless of the fact that world wide change did not come about immediately, Owen was able to set precedent for other authors and organizations. He lit a run off in the depths of passionate hearts and inspired other anti war poets such s Mimics Radiation.